Is Mark Blount the answer in Boston?
NBA Mon, Jan 19, 2004
O'Brien: Celtics will get tougher
Jason Lake
Boston Celtics coach Jim O'Brien is about to unleash his secret weapon: Mark Blount.
The 7-foot center from Yonkers, N.Y. might not be in the same category as Paul Pierce, but O'Brien has had it with Boston's poor defensive play of late. The Celtics have coughed up 109.8 points a night during their last four outings, going 0-4 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS). O'Brien says it's time for a change.
"Over the last two games, we too easily allowed the ball to the rim," O'Brien told the Providence Journal, "and I guess I would say that I will play only the people from here on out that will make it a point not to let the basketball get to the rim.
"If I have to play Mark Blount, as an example, 48 minutes, I'll play him 48 minutes. But we will not be soft at the defensive end."
Blount is one of the few defensive specialists O'Brien can rely on after watching Eric Williams, Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown leave for the Cavs. The former Pittsburgh Panther has already seen his minutes rise from 23.6 per game in December to 34.4 this month.
"I'm an O'Brien guy, and I'm ready to go to war for him," Blount told the Boston Herald. "We just need to sustain our defensive intensity. We can't have a drop-off."
O'Brien shifted Blount to power forward and started Chris Mihm at center Sunday against the Spurs, but San Antonio out-rebounded Boston 50-34 on the way to a 109-92 defeat. The Spurs cashed in as 4 1/2-point home faves.
The roster shuffling is expected to continue tonight when the Celtics visit the Miami Heat. Miami is 1-5 SU in its past six, but 4-2 ATS during the same span.
